Chapter Seventeen: A New Eye

The thing was centi-

“-No. It’s closer to Vaud than to you-” The voice was back, it's intensity and similarity to the world around her, morphing her opinion-

“-I’ll try and snap you-**t o* i*.” The voice murmured distantly again.

In front of her the beast, metres in height, looking like a mix of a small-minded giant zombie with no little amount of experience, was marching towards Vaud.

Swaying he looked at the beast wide-mouthed, Kresley next to him bawling her eyes out.

Shit.

Closing her eyes she slowly swayed forward as the world lurched around her.

Bleh.

When did the air taste chalky and smell dusty?

Also, why are ther-

“OUT OF IT.” An electric feeling parsed. Her body felt disconnected and then she was back.

Her eyes burned of the sun and suddenly the mist around her eyes and head dissipated.

The familiar feeling was Shadow’s affinity!

“There. Waynev we don’t have a lot of time.” Speaking fast the world turned slowly, the beast was about to swing at Vaud and it’s beady eyes were eyeing the ground next to him.

Kresley.

“I-” Thinking fast Shadow wasn’t willing to give up her secret just yet.

“-used my telepathy skill to absorb the rampant mana in your body. It should work but I don’t know how long I can-”

PVOOOF

A red blur smashed into one of the trees.

Holding only a stick where a mace used to stand proud, Vaud was on the ground twisting until a muffled scream came from his mouth.

Head swinging back to the beast Kresley was completely out of it.

From the wetness of the ground around her, it didn’t take a genius to guess her state of mind.

Legs running.

Inaction annulled Waynev sprinted towards the beast.

Feeling for her knuckles in hand her clothed hand was still faintly bleeding-

-the beast reached down grabbing Kresley’s legs and her hip and began to pull.

Screams turned int-

TISHH

The noise! It wa-

PVOOOVEEEE

A blast of gold, hitting the body of the monster with dust floating in the air around it, circling it.

Only to come raining down onto the beast with precision, avoiding the limp young lady altogether.

Screams turned into curdles of blood as the monster began streaming blood from its pores that were opened.

The stone-like skin proving to be no match for the oblique magic-

TISHHH KVOOVE

The sound resonated, each time she heard the noise a hint of something came. Waiting for it to be completed.

But this time no blast came.

Instead, a flash of light came from nearby, where the original spark shook the world around the monster.

A figure, garbed in black and chainmail darted out, axe shining in the same golden light that injured the creature so-

Turning to face it’s new opponent, sluggish and drooling it lazily swung and the strike went wide.

Swing and deflecting the figure went closer to the beast, each time the blade touched its skin it screeched and fell back further until against one of the largest underground tree’s.

Roots lay man-sized around the two, the figure dashed forward finding ease of movement between the obstacles while the monster found only impairment.

A large swing from the monster once again hit short on one of the roots and-

With a lunge the figure’s blade finally reached home the golden light binding to the figure, parsing inside it.

With a terrible screech, it struggled then stopped.

Only then did Waynev notice her weak legs and fell to the floor.

The figure’s hair shorter than hers revealed an androgynous face.

But looking at it clearly.

It was a she.

"What… the hell just happened."

"I'll tell you." Two voices echoed a reply, one was familiar to Waynev the other came from her rescuer.

"That thing-" She pulled out her blade, with a slump the beast fell to the ground.

An empty husk, blood still flowing freely.

Cleaning said blade, she brought out a small green dagger and began to saw off the creature's head.

"Ghoulbound.” A wet flop enunciated as the head hell freely into an awaiting bag, smaller than the head itself and yet it had no trouble surrounding it.

Another figure moved again, Vaud.

Oh right.

“Vaud!” Waynev sprinted over to the drunk looking figure.

“Unless your friends took an R resistance tonic-” The figure spoke again, the bag holding the head firmly strapped to her hips.

“-their not going to be levelheaded till they leave this floor.” Her eyes began examining Waynev.

“Strange…” She rasped, her eyes suddenly closed.

Opening them she continued “I sensed V affinity from you but you're not affected by the Cyan mana in the air. Why aren’t you affected?” Her hands subtly went to her blade, she began slowly paci-

“Did you alone take the tonic?" Her eyes turned to shimmers.

"Plan to drug them and mug them?” Waynev who was entranced by the actions and look of the fierce hunter suddenly realised she hadn’t replied.

“I-” Interrupted without pause Shadow cut in.

“Wayne. Tell her your affinity is Cyan coloured but-you-hide-it-with-an-artefact.” Shadow blurted out, already stressing about the outco-

“I’m Cyan coloured!” Waynev quickly waved her hands placatingly.

“Oh, God.” Shadow’s voice whispered in despair, this was going to take a while.

Ten ninutes of comedic explaining later.

The mana in the air was starting to get to her and looking at the hunter she could tell that it was affecting her as well.

“Fine.” She turned heel and began to leave, Waynev’s awkwardness to talk to powerful women was a newish occurrence.

But fortunately, it had ended we-

“Oh. Right.” The hunter turned her head at something she walked past.

‘Crap. Was she doubting that I’m competent enough to hid-’ Waynev’s interpretation of the situation was very wrong.

“I knocked out the lizard with snakes for hair. He attacked me if you try to report it.” She waved her hand after pointing at a large illuminated rock.

After waiting a moment for her to walk further she jogged towards the rock and found a used and clearly abused Pill.

“At least he’s breathing.” She exclaimed, the adrenaline fleeing her body almost as fast as the blood from the Ghoulbound.

“I wouldn’t be excited.” Shadow toned, clearly thinking about something else.

“After all. Who’s going to move the party OUT of the bon-blue zone.” Her blunder went unnoticed as Waynev looked at the massive serpentfolk in front of her.

“Shit…”

…

A passage nearby.

“Sorry-” Vaud’s attempted calm apology was broken by the blood and bandages decorating his red-tinted exterior.

“-if we're being honest-” Pill glared at Vaud but he continued, clearly not caring what his companion thought.

“-it was our first time in a dungeon. We heard this floor was good for newbies at the diving business but…”

Where a bashful grin would’ve suited him, Vaud’s face was downcast.

“At least he’s trying to apologise.” Kresley was still out of it and Waynev had found some… extra clothes for her so when she awoke it wouldn’t be in soggy pants.

Pill on the other hand was pissed, whether that was because they missed out on looting the Ghoulbound or him getting knocked out before the monster even attacked was still in the air.

“It’s fine.” Waynev grudged out while looking at Vaud-” It wasn’t actually fine.” and was promptly interrupted.

Thankfully only in her h-” Not only did we nearly die but if I didn’t take c-push mana into your body, that would’ve been it.” Another interruption but Shadow was right, but then again she was the only one other than Kresley that hadn’t been injured.

“Thanks, Waynev,” Vaud sat next to the fire they had started.

Kresley’s prepared soup was being warmed as they waited for her to wake.

“It’s incredible that you were the one that stayed conscious-your affinity is weakest to Cyan.” Vaud claimed innocently.

“Incredibly suspicious you mean.” Pill knocked over his pack but didn’t move to pick it up, instead, his eyes stayed on Waynev.

“How did yo-” Waynev didn’t hesitate to answer Pill, Shadow and herself had time to prepare during their not-so-convenient nap and while hauling them to safety.

“I have Apt Control as my bound aspect which of course allows me to control which natural mana comes into my body and avoi-” As Waynev spout lies and obvious bullshit to the experienced observer she was thankful for Shadow’s skill and eagerness to lie and deceit those around her she considered, possible friends.

Huh.

‘Maybe it wasn’t only Shadow’s fault for her relationships to fai-No, no.’ She shook herself out of it as she began their questioning.

“Guys. About the affinity tonics…”

After a heated back and forth with Pill about numerous questions of what Affinities counter which and which are stronger against others, she got the information she needed.

“Power of the mind was strong against Object manipulation and weak against Power of the body… Hmm, we’re going to need to make a chart for this.”

Power of the mind

Strong Against

>

Weak Against

<

Object Manipulation

Strong Against

>

Weak Against

<

Force Control

Strong Against

>

Weak Against

<

Animal Powers

Strong Against

>

Weak Against

<

Power of the body

Strong Against

>

Weak Against

<

“Affinities to the right of another are strong against them. Affinities to the left are weak to them. If they're not immediately next to each other there neutral.”

“I get it. So the hunter taking the R resistance tonic-”

“Yes. Obviously. Also not a hunter. If what you said was true about her weapon glowing, her speed and the monster she was hunting then that clearly was no hunter.” Pill’s pompous tone had softened a bit but he was still an ass.

“That was a Warlock.”

“A warlock?”

Vaud cut in.

“Someone who uses the blood of other races to enhance their own. They’re normally sterile but if they take the right blood types then they can become strong nobles or form powerful groups, like the-”

“They also take contracts,” Pill interrupted, a normal occurrence as Vaud didn’t look bothered.

“-and hunt rampant monsters, for payment and their blood. Strongest is in the beast’s head or it’s heart… One of us needs to go back for it.” Shooting a look at Waynev, Pill began pouring himself some of the soup not bothering to pour a bowl for Vaud or Waynev.

After eating Waynev went back to the scene of the fight, it was still beautiful though less so now that the mana in the air wasn’t influencing her emotions.

And of course, due to the grotesque body, plaguing the serene scene with its smell, damage onto the environment and blood that she had noticed had been spread out through gravity and…

Bookmarks… probably hers?

Avoiding the protruding roots around her Waynev maneuvered to the carcass.

“Imagine if I wasn’t here hmm?” Shadow humbly claimed as Waynev dug into the beast's body with one of Kresley’s daggers.

“After we strip his heart, nails and whatever else looks nice we should sleep. Check our stats in the morning.”

Not falling for the same trick of opening her mouth to reply and getting blood in reply she continued eviscerating the corpse.

“Waynev.” Her voice parsed a few minutes later.

Not responding Shadow continued.

“Why was the corpse upset?” Trying not to breathe in the stench of blood and guts she put the ‘items’ in the bag.

“It made a grave error!” Cackling in her head, the echoes of the bad joke put her in a sour mood, Shadow as usual however was enjoying teasing Waynev during her less than fortunate activities.